Big anime overview.
Apr. 21st, 2004 03:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elwenObviously I don't have the time to be watching anime, but naturally that doesn't stop me from doing it anyway. So first the not-new series:
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
Lunar seems to have put this series on their backburner, forcing me to do the same, not that I've watched the newest releases. It was light and fluffy, not as weird as Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, but filling a similar niche, perhaps. It would be nice to see more.
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Apparently it is done at 13 episodes -- given that it's a long-running, popular manga, I would have expected at least 26, but I hear there will be a second season in the fall. Again, I need to watch the last two, but it seems like a nice running length and an adorable series overall. And really, if it had kept running, it would have broken my heart when Rosa Gigantea graduated. Although, and I assume this doesn't happen in the last two episodes, it would have been nice to hear a bit more about how she went from being almost as unapproachable as Sachiko to the spunky and irreverent Rose we know.
PLANETES
I think it's over, or very close, but I'm still less than halfway through watching, although I still love the series to pieces. As fresh and funny as it is, somehow it's not a series where I can manage to watch more than one episode at a time, and lately I haven't been in the mood for even that. I really like their (kind of) realistic portrayal of civilization, though, like the sad truths of space exploration -- considering the premise is that space debris is a menace -- and the cynical, but not overbearing, approach to world politics.
And then, on to the new season:
Ragnarok the Animation
Well, duh, it's Ragnarok, so how could I not try watching it? But it feels rather blah to me thus far. Yes, Ma-chan is kind of interesting when she's not annoyingly cutesy. Yes, Takiusu was awesome with her Blindfold of +20 Badass -- albeit a wuss without it. But Roan and Yuufa leave me cold, and there doesn't seem to be much story yet. Especially after the intensity and complexity of the plot in the manga, the anime feels like a pale imitation of Scrapped Princess, somehow. I might pick it up again if people start raving about a deeper plot, or if other series become boring, but for now, consider it dropped.
Madlax
Someone explain to me, after Avenger was cut short, why they are making another series that's even more like Noir? -.- Although having Madlax do other agent-type missions instead of just assassinations, though not much different, is somehow refreshing. And Madlax is admittedly more dimensional than Leila, as introspective as Kirika, but more mature like Mireille. So it could be good. I'll have to keep watching, and meet the "other half".
Mahou Shoujo Tai (Tweeny Witches)
Something about witches. The episodes are only 10 minutes long, so I didn't get much out of the first. The art style is different, but very detailed and, if not pretty, interesting to look at, especially the arcane apparatus. We'll see how it goes.
Kyou Kara Maou
As other people have said, it really is hilarious that he got flushed down a toilet. It sounds stupid, but the way they handled it just makes you laugh. After that, it becomes slightly more typical. Average schoolboy gets sucked into an alternate dimension where he's supposed to be king. But there are pretty boys in his entourage! ...and that's about as far as the first episode got. Not getting much out of Yuuri's character so far; he seems like your typical clueless guy, although he vaguely resembles Kamui, if only because of the black hair and black uniform. But I'm interested to learn more about how the Mazoku are treated in the series. So far all they've said is that Mazoku magic is useful mainly in battle, with no demonstrations. Oh, and the flying skeletons are kind of cute, in a macabre way. ^o^;;
Shura no Toki
When it started, I was thinking, "Rurouni Kenshin ripoff?" but it's somewhat different. Not sure how much I like the always laid back and unconcerned, however skilled, main character -- a la Yoh from Shaman King -- but other than that, it's a cute, enjoyable series. Definitely the best so far.
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
Lunar seems to have put this series on their backburner, forcing me to do the same, not that I've watched the newest releases. It was light and fluffy, not as weird as Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito, but filling a similar niche, perhaps. It would be nice to see more.
Maria-sama ga Miteru
Apparently it is done at 13 episodes -- given that it's a long-running, popular manga, I would have expected at least 26, but I hear there will be a second season in the fall. Again, I need to watch the last two, but it seems like a nice running length and an adorable series overall. And really, if it had kept running, it would have broken my heart when Rosa Gigantea graduated. Although, and I assume this doesn't happen in the last two episodes, it would have been nice to hear a bit more about how she went from being almost as unapproachable as Sachiko to the spunky and irreverent Rose we know.
PLANETES
I think it's over, or very close, but I'm still less than halfway through watching, although I still love the series to pieces. As fresh and funny as it is, somehow it's not a series where I can manage to watch more than one episode at a time, and lately I haven't been in the mood for even that. I really like their (kind of) realistic portrayal of civilization, though, like the sad truths of space exploration -- considering the premise is that space debris is a menace -- and the cynical, but not overbearing, approach to world politics.
And then, on to the new season:
Ragnarok the Animation
Well, duh, it's Ragnarok, so how could I not try watching it? But it feels rather blah to me thus far. Yes, Ma-chan is kind of interesting when she's not annoyingly cutesy. Yes, Takiusu was awesome with her Blindfold of +20 Badass -- albeit a wuss without it. But Roan and Yuufa leave me cold, and there doesn't seem to be much story yet. Especially after the intensity and complexity of the plot in the manga, the anime feels like a pale imitation of Scrapped Princess, somehow. I might pick it up again if people start raving about a deeper plot, or if other series become boring, but for now, consider it dropped.
Madlax
Someone explain to me, after Avenger was cut short, why they are making another series that's even more like Noir? -.- Although having Madlax do other agent-type missions instead of just assassinations, though not much different, is somehow refreshing. And Madlax is admittedly more dimensional than Leila, as introspective as Kirika, but more mature like Mireille. So it could be good. I'll have to keep watching, and meet the "other half".
Mahou Shoujo Tai (Tweeny Witches)
Something about witches. The episodes are only 10 minutes long, so I didn't get much out of the first. The art style is different, but very detailed and, if not pretty, interesting to look at, especially the arcane apparatus. We'll see how it goes.
Kyou Kara Maou
As other people have said, it really is hilarious that he got flushed down a toilet. It sounds stupid, but the way they handled it just makes you laugh. After that, it becomes slightly more typical. Average schoolboy gets sucked into an alternate dimension where he's supposed to be king. But there are pretty boys in his entourage! ...and that's about as far as the first episode got. Not getting much out of Yuuri's character so far; he seems like your typical clueless guy, although he vaguely resembles Kamui, if only because of the black hair and black uniform. But I'm interested to learn more about how the Mazoku are treated in the series. So far all they've said is that Mazoku magic is useful mainly in battle, with no demonstrations. Oh, and the flying skeletons are kind of cute, in a macabre way. ^o^;;
Shura no Toki
When it started, I was thinking, "Rurouni Kenshin ripoff?" but it's somewhat different. Not sure how much I like the always laid back and unconcerned, however skilled, main character -- a la Yoh from Shaman King -- but other than that, it's a cute, enjoyable series. Definitely the best so far.
